Snowboard binding support and snowboard binding

ABSTRACT

A snowboard binding support ( 1 ) comprises a supporting plate ( 7 ) interposed between the upper surface of the board ( 2 ) and the bottom surface of the base of the binding, so as to allow the base of the binding to be raised with respect to the board, said support comprising adjustment means, able to allow adjustment in translation and/or rotation of the supporting plate ( 7 ) with respect to the board ( 2 ) and operating means ( 9 ) that can be operated by the user to enable/disable said adjustment.

DESCRIPTION

[0001] The present invention refers to a snowboard binding support and asnowboard binding.

[0002] As is known, a snowboard comprises a board, generally of wood andfibreglass-reinforced plastic on which are fitted two bindings able toreceive respective soft or rigid snow boots worn by the user.

[0003] Depending upon the snowboarding style and the user'srequirements, the positioning and orientation of the bindings on theboard are extremely important.

[0004] For this purpose a plurality of holes able to receive screw meansfor fixing the bindings in the desired position are formed on the board.

[0005] Moreover, to allow angular adjustment, some types of bindingshave a crown wheel that engages with a toothed ring nut formed in thebinding. Holes (from three to five) are formed in the crown wheel toreceive the screw means for fixing the binding to the board.

[0006] These types of bindings according to the prior art presentdrawbacks due above all to the difficulty and awkwardness in adjustingthe position on the board.

[0007] In fact, when the user wants to change the position of a bindingon the board, that is to say he wants to move the binding toward the tipor toward the tail of the board, he must loosen four screws, move thebinding and then retighten the screws to fix the binding in the newposition on the board.

[0008] The same applies when the user wants to rotate the binding withrespect to the board. In this case, in fact, he must loosen the screws,disengage the crown wheel from the toothed ring nut and turn theseelements with respect to each other, then re-engage the crown wheel withthe ring nut and fix the screws to the board.

[0009] It is obvious that both the operations of translation and ofrotation of the binding with respect to the board are somewhat complex,waste too much time, and also require the use of appropriate tools, suchas screwdrivers or spanners to loosen/tighten the screws.

[0010] Furthermore, the fact that the bindings according to the priorart are mounted directly on the board leads to other drawbacks.

[0011] In fact, on snowboards with traditional bindings, the user keepsthe centre of gravity low and therefore has difficulty in switching fromone edge of the snowboard to the other when making turns. Furthermore,the weight of the user is not evenly distributed on the board, with aresulting lack of stability.

[0012] The object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacksof the prior art by providing a binding support and a binding forsnowboards that allow the operations for adjusting the position of thebinding on the board to be simplified.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a bindingsupport and a binding for snowboards that are practical, versatile andsimple to use.

[0014] These objects are achieved, according to the invention, with thecharacteristics listed in appended independent claim 1.

[0015] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are apparent from thedependent claims.

[0016] The snowboard binding support according to the invention has atrack mounted integrally on the board. Slidably mounted on the track isa slide that supports a crown wheel on which a tang with a collar ismounted. The track and the slide can both have a toothed profile.

[0017] A plate that has a toothed seat able to receive the crown wheeland a central hole from which the tang of the crown wheel exits ismounted on the slide. Mounted on the plate is a jaw which, when itgrips, engages the collar of the tang keeping the slide raised so thatthe crown wheel engages in the toothed seat, blocking rotation of theplate, and the toothed profile of the slide engages in the toothedprofile, of the track, preventing translation of the slide on the track.

[0018] The jaw is operated by a user-operated lever. When the useroperates the lever and releases the grip of the jaw, the crown wheeldisengages from the toothed seat and therefore the plate can turn withrespect to the slide and at the same time the toothed profile of theslide disengages from the toothed profile of the track and therefore theslide can translate integrally with the plate with respect to the track.

[0019] A snowboard binding of the traditional type can be mounted on thesupporting plate. Alternatively, the supporting plate can be configuredas a real binding, providing two side walls and a rear wall to surroundthe side walls and the heel of the snowboarding boot. Strips with fixinghooks to firmly block the boot are applied to the walls.

[0020] The advantages of the binding support and the snowboard bindingaccording to the invention are obvious.

[0021] In fact this type of support, with a single movement operating alever or other mechanism, allows two adjustments of the bindingsimultaneously, in translation and in rotation. These adjustments areperformed without having to remove the boots from the binding andwithout the use of tools to loosen the screws.

[0022] The support according to the invention raises the user's centreof gravity making the shift from one edge to another during useimmediate and reactive.

[0023] Furthermore, thanks to the support according to the invention,the heel and toe of the user's boot remain raised, considerably reducingthe problems that are encountered in tilting of the snowboard on thesnow.

[0024] Furthermore, the supporting plate is advantageously wider thanthe base of the bindings, therefore it allows the entire weight of theuser to be distributed directly on the blades of the board, both in thefront part and in the rear, with the result of having greater stabilityduring snowboarding.

[0025] Furthermore, by interposing shims, the supporting plate can bemounted on the board with a certain tilt, thus acting as canting. Rubbershims which cushion impact and reduce vibration of the board can bepositioned beneath the supporting plate.

[0026] Further characteristics of the invention will be made clearer bythe detailed description that follows, referring to a purely exemplaryand therefore non-limiting embodiment thereof, illustrated in theappended drawings, in which:

[0027]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a snowboardshown broken away and some elements forming part of the supportaccording to the invention;

[0028]FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view illustrating a variantembodiment of the track and slide assembly of the support according tothe invention;

[0029]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of other elements formingpart of the support according to the invention;

[0030]FIG. 3 is a plan view from beneath of the supporting plateillustrated in FIG. 2;

[0031]FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the support according tothe invention, mounted on a board shown broken away.

[0032] The support according to the invention, designated as a whole byreference numeral 1 and shown in FIG. 4 assembled on a snowboard,designated by reference numeral 2, will be described with the aid of thefigures.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1, the support 1 comprises a track 3 consistingof a plate that has a lowered central portion 30 and two side portions31 raised with respect to the central portion 30.

[0034] In the central portion 30 there are holes 32 able to receivescrew means to fix the track 3 on the upper surface of the board 2. Inparticular, four pairs of single holes 32 and two pairs of double holes32′ are provided. The double hole 32′ consists of two adjacent singleholes. Each pair of holes has a first hole near the first raised sideportion 31 and a second hole near the second raised side portion. Theholes 32, 32′ are substantially equidistant from each other.

[0035] At the ends of the central portion 30 are two abutment surfaces34 protruding upward to act as stops.

[0036] The side portions 31 of the track 3 have a serrated profile 33 intheir bottom surface.

[0037] A slide 4 is slidably mounted on the track 3. The slide 4consists of a rectangular plate 42 with side flaps 40 folded downward.In this manner the side flaps 40 assume a substantially C-shaped crosssection with a gap 41 able to receive the side portions 31 of the track3.

[0038] The bottom part of the side flaps 40 has an upward facingserrated profile 43, matching the serrated profile 33 of the sideportions 31 of the track 3. In this manner, when the slide 4 ispositioned on the track 3 with the side portions 31 of the track insidethe gap 41 of the side portions of the slide, the slide can slide on thetrack. On the other hand, when the slide 4 is raised upward, theserrated profile 43 of the side portions of the slide meshes with theserrated profile 33 of the side portions of the track and thustranslation of the slide 4 is blocked.

[0039] A crown wheel 44 is mounted above the slide 4, in a centralposition. A substantially frusto-conical shaped tang 50 with an upwardlyincreasing diameter is mounted above the crown wheel 44. The tang 50ends in an outwardly protruding collar 51.

[0040] Two springs 45 are provided on the slide 4 alongside the crownwheel 44. Each spring 45 has a fixed part 46 integral with the slide 4and a free part 47. Between the fixed part 46 and the free part 47 is acentral upward-facing bellows part 48.

[0041] With reference to FIG. 1A, a variant embodiment of the track 3and slide 4 assembly is shown. In this case the track 3, instead ofhaving the serrated profile 33 has on the upper surface of the sideportions 31 a plurality of seats 35 having a substantially hemisphericalconcave shape.

[0042] Accordingly, the slide 4 does not have the serrated profile 43and the flat springs 45. Instead, on the rectangular plate 42 of theslide 4, near the four corners, four circular through holes 52 able toallow the passage of four spheres 53 which fit exactly into thehemispherical seats 35 are provided.

[0043] In this manner, a portion of the spherical cap fits into therespective seat 35 and another portion of the spherical cap protrudesupward from the rectangular plate 42 of the slide 4.

[0044] A graduated indicator 6, shown in FIG. 2, is positioned on thetable 2, around the slide 4 which is mounted on the track 3. Thegraduated indicator 6 consists of a disc-shaped plate with a centralhole 60 that is rectangular in shape in order to receive the slide 4 andthe track 3. A graduated scale 61 that goes from 0 to 360° is providedon the circumferential surface of the graduated indicator 6.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 2, a supporting plate 7 having a substantiallyelliptical shape with a width substantially equal to or slightly smallerthan the width of the board 2 is positioned on the graduated indicator6.

[0046] The supporting plate 7 has a central hole 71 through which thefrusto-conical tang 50 can pass so that the supporting plate 7 is freeto rotate around the tang 50.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, the supporting plate 7 has in its bottomsurface, around the central hole 71, a doughnut-shaped recessed seat 77,defined by an outer toothed profile 78. The seat 77 has an outerdiameter substantially equal to the diameter of the crown wheel 44 andthe profile 78 of the seat 77 meshes with the toothed profile of thecrown wheel 44.

[0048] The supporting plate 7 further has quarter-moon shaped sidespacers or shims 76, which laterally surround the graduated indicator 6to come into contact with the board 2.

[0049] When the plate 7 is positioned on the slide 4, the central parts48 of the springs 45 come into contact with the bottom surface of theplate 7 and keep it raised with respect to the slide 4, so that thecrown wheel 44 does not mesh with the toothed profile 78 of the toothedseat 77 of the supporting plate; thus the plate 7 is free to turn aroundthe tang 50. In this situation, moreover, the weight of the supportingplate 7 pushes the slide 4 downward, therefore the serrated profile 43of the slide does not engage with the serrated profile 33 of the track 3and consequently the slide 4 can translate above the track 3 conveyingwith it the supporting plate 7. In the case of the variant of FIG. 1A,the spheres 53 are free to rotate in their seats 35 of the track 52 ofthe slide, thus the slide 4 can translate along the track 3.

[0050] Returning to FIG. 2, provided on the upper surface of thesupporting plate 7 is a substantially U-shaped recessed seat 70, inwhich the minimum of the U comprises the hole 71. After the hole 71, inthe end of the U-shaped seat 70, a pivot hole 72 is provided, whilstother holes 75 able to receive fixing screws for fixing of a binding areprovided on the plate 7.

[0051] The plate 7 has a protruding part 73 disposed along the bisectorof the U-shaped seat in a position opposite the minimum of the U. Theprotruding part 73 has a through hole 74 parallel to the plane of theplate 7.

[0052] A substantially nutcracker-shaped jaw device 8 is received in theseat 70 of the supporting plate 7. The jaw device 8 comprises two levers80 pivoted at their ends by means of a pin 81 which engages in the pinseat 72 of the seat 70.

[0053] To minimize the thickness, the jaw device can have two separatelevers, hinged by means of their respective pins in respective holesformed in the U-shaped seat 70.

[0054] Each lever 80 has an outer profile with an obtuse angle. Eachlever 80 has a semicircular inner profile 83 near the end at which it ispivoted. Each lever 80 has in the opposite end to that in which it ispivoted a cylindrical block with a through hole 82 having an axis atright angles to the axis of the pin 81 of the levers.

[0055] When the jaw device 8 is housed in the seat 70 of the supportingplate, the semicircular profiles 83 of the levers 8 surround the tang 50and remain beneath the collar 51 of the tang 50. The holes 82 of thecylindrical end block of the levers 80 remain substantially coaxial withthe hole 74 in the end part 73 of the supporting plate 7.

[0056] An operating device 9 is provided for the jaw device 8. Theoperating device 9 has a stem 90 which is inserted in the holes 82 ofthe levers 80 of the jaw device and in the hole 74 of the end 73 of thesupporting plate.

[0057] A locking nut 91 is fixed at one end of the stem 90 and the otherend of the stem 90 is hinged, by means of a pin 93, with its axis atright angles to the axis of the stem 90, to a cam 94 integral with anoperating lever 92 that can be operated by the user.

[0058] Operation of the support 1 for snowboard bindings according tothe invention is described below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0059] When the user wants to lock the supporting plate 7, he manuallyoperates the operating lever 92 moving it in the locking position, inwhich the cam 94 of the operating lever 92 pushes the end block of thelever 80 of the jaw device and therefore brings the two ends of thelevers 80 together. Consequently the semicircular profiles 83 of thelevers 80 act to grip the conical surface of the tang 50 causing raisingthereof.

[0060] As a result raising of the slide 4 occurs against the action ofthe springs 45. Thus the toothed profile 43 of the slide 4 engages withthe toothed profile 33 of the track 3 blocking translation of the slide4 on the track 3 and the toothed profile of the crown wheel 44 engageswith the toothed profile 78 of the seat 77 of the supporting plate 7,blocking rotation of the supporting plate 7 around the tang 50. Clearlyin the variant of FIG. 1A the spheres 53 are pressed by the supportingplate 7 inside the spherical seats 35, blocking rotation of the spheresand thus translation of the slide 4 along the track 3.

[0061] When the user has to adjust the position of the supporting plate7, he operates the operating lever 92 in the nonlocking position. Thecam 94 of the operating device 9 thus acts on the end of the cylindricalblock of the lever 8 of the jaw device, releasing the grip of the jawdevice on the tang 50. Consequently, through the action of the springs45 the supporting plate 7 is raised with respect to the slide 4,therefore the crown wheel 44 disengages from the toothed seat 77 thusallowing the possibility of rotation of the supporting plate 7 aroundthe tang 50.

[0062] Moreover, the weight of the supporting plate 7 pushes the slide 4downward and therefore the serrated profile 43 of the slide 4 disengagesfrom the serrated profile 33 of the track 3, thereby allowingtranslation of the slide 4 on the track 3 and thus also translation ofthe supporting plate 7 which remains integral with the slide as ittranslates. Clearly in the variant of FIG. 1A, in this situation, thespheres 53 are no longer pressed by the supporting plate 7 and thus arefree to rotate in their seats, allowing translation of the slide 4 withrespect to the track 3.

[0063] The present embodiment of the invention has been described withreference to a support 1 on which snowboard bindings of known types canbe fitted. However, the invention also extends to a type of snowboardbinding which, in place of a traditional base, has a support like thatdescribed previously.

[0064] In fact, the supporting plate 7 can also have two side walls anda heel piece. Strips with locking hooks to block the user's boot arefixed to the side walls and the heel spoiler is connected to the heelpiece.

[0065] Numerous variations and modifications of detail within the reachof a person skilled in the art can be made to the present inventionwithout departing form the scope of the invention set forth by theappended claims.

1. A snowboard binding support (1) characterized in that it comprises asupporting plate (7) interposed between the upper surface of the board(2) and the bottom surface of the base of the binding, so as to allowthe base of the binding to be raised with respect to the board.
 2. Asupport according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprisesadjustment means such as to allow adjustment of the supporting plate (7)in translation and/or rotation with respect to the board (2) andoperating means (9) that can be operated by the user to enable/disablesaid adjustment means.
 3. A support according to claim 2, characterizedin that said translation adjustment means comprise: a track (3) mountedintegrally on the board (2), a slide (4) slidingly mounted on said trackand integral in translation with said supporting plate (7), andtranslation blocking means that can be operated by said operating means(9).
 4. A support according to claim 3, characterized in that saidtranslation blocking means comprise a serrated profile (33) provided onsaid track (3) and a matching serrated profile (43) provided on saidslide (4).
 5. A support according to claim 3, characterized in that saidtranslation locking means comprise a plurality of substantiallyhemispherical concave seats (35), provided on said track, and aplurality of spheres (53) disposed in holes (52) in said slide (4) toengage in said concave seats (35) of said track (3).
 6. A supportaccording to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that said meansof adjustment in rotation comprise: a cylindrical tang (50) integralwith said board (2) or with said slide (4) and engaging in a hole (71)of said supporting plate (7) so that the supporting plate can rotatewith respect to said tang, and rotation locking means that can beoperated by said operating means (9).
 7. A support according to claim 6,characterized in that said rotation locking means comprise a crown wheel(44), integral with said slide (4), which can be engaged in a toothedseat (77) formed in the bottom surface of said supporting plate (7). 8.A support according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in thatsaid operating means (9) act on said supporting plate (7) and/or on saidslide (4) to bring the supporting plate (7) into a locked position inwhich adjustment thereof is not permitted and an unlocked position inwhich adjustment in translation and in rotation is permitted.
 9. Asupport according to claim 8, characterized in that said-operating means(9) comprise a lever (92) that can be operated by the user and acts on ajaw device (8) able to grip the neck of said tang (50) to lower saidsupporting plate (7) or raise said slide (4), so as to allow locking ofsaid supporting plate (7) and/or of said slide (4).
 10. A supportaccording to claim 9, characterized in that said jaw device (8)comprises two levers (80) pivoted in said supporting plate (7).
 11. Asupport according to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in thatspring means (45) are interposed between said slide (4) and said plate(7) to distance said supporting plate (7) from said slide (4).
 12. Asupport according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized inthat a graduated indicator (6) integral with the board is placed betweensaid board (2) and said supporting plate (7), to indicate the adjustmentin rotation of said supporting plate (7) with respect to the board (2).13. A support according to any one of the preceding claims,characterized in that shims (76) of soft material are interposed betweenthe board (2) and the supporting plate (7) to dampen the impact andvibrations of the board.
 14. A support according to any one of thepreceding claims, characterized in that said supporting plate (7) ismounted on the board in a tilted position so as to act as canting forthe bindings.
 15. A support according to any one of the precedingclaims, characterized in that said supporting pate (7) is configured asa snowboard binding.
 16. A snowboard binding characterized in that thebase of said binding comprises a support (1) according to any one of thepreceding claims.
 17. A snowboard characterized in that it comprises asupport according to any one of claims 1 to
 15. 18. A snowboardcharacterized in that it comprises a binding according to claim 16.